Cuisine

The Bagel-Maker of Montreal: Kashmir Singh Randhawa

When a Dollarama opened next door to D.A.D.'s Bagels a few years ago, Kashmir Singh Randhawa knew his days were numbered.

"I played the waiting game," Kashmir Singh said.

Now the waiting is over. His beloved bagel shop is closing today.

He
and wife Kuldeep Kaur established their Notre-Dame-de-Grâce ("NDG") bagel shop 20
years ago at the corner of Sherbrooke Street West and Wilson Avenue.

They
made bagels the old-fashioned way, in a wood-burning oven. Over time,
their menu grew to include samosas and other staples of Punjabi homemade
cuisine.

The community around D.A.D.'s
Bagels grew as well. Kashmir Singh said he came to be known as a father
figure of NDG, with some people even calling him
"granddaddy."

“We’re a family,” he said.

He
said he supported the community for many years, donating food to the
NDG Food Depot and holding fundraisers for various charitable
organizations with a mission he deemed worthwhile. The community
responded, and D.A.D.'s Bagels became a neighbourhood institution.

And
so he was crushed to find out the owners of the building that houses
his shop were not renewing his lease to make room for a Dollarama
expansion, he said.

LOVE FOR, AND FROM, THE NOTRE-DAME-DE-GRACE COMMUNITY

When Kashmir Singh first came to Montreal, he had big dreams.

He arrived in 1972 with wife Kuldeep, settling in NDG two years later. He worked
on a variety of business ventures, first getting involved in the bagel game by way of R.E.A.L. Bagel.

In 1994, he set up a shop of his own on Sherbrooke Street West in the centre of a bustling residential neighbourhood.

He
named his business Dad's Bagels, but had to register it as D.A.D.'s
Bagel to get around Office québécois de la langue françaiseregulations. [Quebec has, thanks to the separatist agenda of a segment of its population, oppressive laws requiring French only signs.]

He employed between 10 and 12 people at any given time.

He
was told he needed to vacate the premises a few months ago. He said his
store's closure is a sign of a larger trend in NDG and lower Westmount.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and we’re putting them out," he said.

Despite his
heartbreak, the 71-year-old Kashmir Singh is looking forward to taking his first vacation in years — at home, with his family.

He
said he will miss the NDG community around his shop deeply, and needs
some time to heal emotionally before pondering possible future ventures.

“I always wanted to build a place where I can be attached to my community. I’m a Québécois. I’m a Montrealer,” Kashmir Singh said.

[Courtesy: CBC News. Edited for sikhchic.com]

September 1, 2014

Conversation about this article

This couple sum up what Sikhs have done in thousands of towns and cities across the planet! This chardi kala thrives regardless of racism, sexism and colour prejudice. A great advert for the rest of humanity who find being in the human race extremely difficult.

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